Follies: A Review

I was a lucky SOB and scored a preview performance ticket to the current revival of Follies that is playing at the Marriot Marquis Theater on Broadway.

For those of you who don't know, Follies is one of those shows within the musical theater world that is so fraught with expectation, dogma and preconceived notions that mounting a production is not something for the faint of heart. I did not see the original and legendary production from the 70's, which many hold up as the holy grail of versions, but I saw the much reviled Roundabout revival and enjoyed it. Obviously I'm not a purist so bear that in mind.

Дядя Ваня- A Review

I recently attended the Moscow State Mossovet Theatre's touring production of Дядя Ваня (or Uncle Vanya for those of you who somehow never learned to read the Russian alphabet) held at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center on May 14th and 15th.

I suppose I could sum up the entire production in one word:  Intense.

The Normal Heart - A Review

There were several ways I considered approaching writing this review. One idea was to simply to write the word "exceptional" over and over again.  Other words that came to mind were "shattering," "moving" and, sadly, "timely."

However it is probably best to handle this in a traditional format.

Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart, which opened last night on Broadway...wait a minute, let's put this in perspective.  The Normal Heart, a play that has become an irreplaceable piece of not just gay theatrical canon but of theatrical canon in general, had its Broadway opening last night a full twenty years after it was first produced off-Broadway.  It has taken that long for this brutally honest yet achingly heartfelt play to finally make its way to the Great White Way.

How To....Succeeds

Posted by David

Resisting any and all temptation to invoke metaphors that involve magic or sorcery, I will simply say that the new revival of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying starring Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter fame, for those who live under a rock), is pure, blissful entertainment from start to finish.

Radcliffe, who made his Broadway debut in Equus in 2008, is back on the boards again. Although this time, instead of playing a terribly disturbed young man in a mental institution, he now plays a terribly ambitious man in a corporate institution.  And he sings!  And dances!  He is joined by veteran television actor John Larroquette and a cast brimming with talent and enthusiasm in a candy-colored production that nearly blows the roof off the Al Hirschfeld Theater on 46th Street.

The Rover

By West Village Bill

Yesterday evening, my friend Eugene and I saw a free performance of The Rover produced by New York Classical Theatre at various locations throughout the World Financial Center. I recommend you do the same.

The cast is clearly having a lot of fun, and the good humor is infectious. Handsome M. Scott McLean, as Willmore, the title character who has a roving eye for the ladies, and April Sweeney, as Hellena, the nunnery-bound young woman who schemes to get her and her sister married off to men they love, against the wishes of their brother, also stood out in a generally good group of actors.

Another source of fun is catching the reactions of people walking through the halls of the WFC who suddenly find themselves in the middle of a play. And also catching the nonreactions of people who are just, say, trying to deliver some food and are not caring that someone is emoting on the escalator next to theirs.

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake

By West Village Bill

Lou and I caught the spectacular return of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake at City Center Wednesday night. It's running through Sunday, with tickets still available at many price points, and you owe it to yourself to catch it if you can. Or to get all anxiety-inducing about it—and to quote the London Independent's ringing endorsement of the show that's being used in its marketing materials—"See it or live to regret it."

The dancers are all terrific. The main roles have rotating performers; we saw the smolderingly sexy Jonathan Ollivier as the Swan/Stranger. (That's Richard Winsor in the publicity photo that I took from the City Center website.)

The story, based on Tchaikovsky's ballet, is told movingly through dance. The Prince is smitten with a tacky girlfriend whom the alternately icy and hot-blooded Queen strongly disapproves of. He also falls for a sexy swooping Swan, who has a whiteness of violent cobs in tow. And a handsome Stranger seduces everyone, with tragic consequences.

The main negative of this production is the canned music. After it leaves New York, the company, sans orchestra, is flying off to Milan.

A Little Night Music 2.0 - A Review

Posted by David
I recently had the pleasure to attend a performance of the current revival of Stephen (can we just canonize him and be done with it?) Sondheim's musical A Little Night Music, performing at the Walter Kerr Theater.  The production originally opened starring Catherine Zeta-Jones along with Angela Lansbury.  These two leading ladies have left the production and their roles are now being assayed by Broadway veterans Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch, respectively.

I did not see the production with original cast of Zeta-Jones and Lansbury, so I cannot compare the current incarnation to the previous, and perhaps that is for the best as I would have hated to have that little comparative voice whispering in my head throughout the performance and spoiling my fun.

Theatre Review: Fat Kids on Fire

Posted by David

Pipeline Theatre Company returns to the stage with Bekah Brunstetter's new play Fat Kids on Fire, currently performing at Wings Theatre, in the West Village, through October 2.  This new play follows the adventures of a slighly chubby high school girl who is sent to fat camp, where she learns that in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

Bess is an earnest, insecure young woman trying to navigate the treacherous multi-tiered society of high school.  She longs to be accepted among the "beautiful" people but finds herself thwarted by her physical appearance and her neediness.  When her over-achieving and fitness-obssessed parents send her off to a motivational camp that specializes in overweight kids, she suddenly finds herself much higher up on the social totem pole than she has ever been, and the height, while at first intoxicating, causes her to lose her moral balance.  Brunstetter's play is both bruisingly funny and painfully accurate in its depiction of the ruthless jungle of teenage social politics.  Her language never rings false nor does she allow easy endings for her characters.  Actions have consequences and there is little room for second chances.

Nicole Spiezio and Sydney Matthews

QNY Theater Review: Lost and Found

Posted by David

The Fringe Festival may technically be over, but I had the opportunity to attend a performance of Lost and Found, a new play by John Pollono, as part of the Fringe Encore series.

Lost and Found is a kitchen-sink family dramedy about an Italian-American family living in Boston and deeply embedded in the police community: the son is a cop, the daughter is dating a cop, and their deceased father was a cop.  The mother is a tough-as-nails police widow.  Life is very combative in the Broncato family household as familial obligations, pressures and expectations ricochet amongst the family members who all live tenuously under one roof.

Into this volatile mix comes an outsider who turns out to be not so "outside" afterall.  If this weren't enough, the new next-door neighbor has stumbled into the lives of the family as well.  Tensions mount and secrets are concealed, revealed, and brandished as weapons as each individual tries to find their footing in a family home that is now situated on emotionally tectonic plates.

A Night in Vegas - A Review

Posted by David

A Night in Vegas, the latest light and frothy comedy from Alternate Theatre Company, is actually five nights (or their aftermath) portrayed in five, mostly unconnected, vignettes in a not-quite fabulous hotel room in that place where things that happen stay.  The Alternate Theatre Company, founded by Joe Marshall, was last represented in New York by The Gayest Christmas Pageant Ever.

The Master Builder and The Glass House - A Review

Posted by David

Resonance Ensemble, a relatively young company, is dedicated each season to producing related theatrical presentations that share themes and ideas that remain relevant to current audiences.  For its 2010 season, the company has paired Henrik Ibsen's classic The Master Builder with the new work The Glass House by June Finfer.  Both works have at their center a prominent architect facing both professional and personal challenges while also examining the conflicting role of architect as both artist and artisan.

Let me state up front that I enjoyed both productions.  The casts are strong and the direction and design for each is unique yet complimentary.

Sarah Stockton as Hilda Wangel and Chris Ceraso as Halvard Solness.  Photo by Jon Kandel

Harris Yulin as Mies van der Rohe and Janet Zarish as Edith Farnsworth.  Photo by Jon Kandel

Spend a Night in Jail - A Review

By David

Nutshell Productions is currently producing a double bill of one-acts at the American Theatre for Actors on West 54th Street, just a block west of Studio 54.  The two pieces are William Saroyan's Hello Out There and Jean Genet's Deathwatch.  As both plays have a prison as their setting, this is basis for the conceit for the pairing.

Review: Psycho Beach Party

Posted by David

If this past week is any indication, summer is nearly upon us.  Time to start breaking out your swimsuits, sun glasses and multiple personalities!

At least, that is the de rigueur beach-wear featured in the Pipeline Theatre Company's exuberant and bouyant production of Charles Busch's Psycho Beach Party playing for a woefully short run at the Theatres at 45 Bleeker, located in the East Village.

John Early as Chicklet, flanked by Shane Zeigler as Nicky (l) and Brian Maxsween as Yo-Yo (r).  Photo by Suzi Sadler.

Zero Hour

By Father Tony

Seeing this on JMG reminded me that I saw Zero Hour two years ago when it played to a very appreciative Florida audience.

From my review of that production:

Then the house lights were extinguished, and from the very first second of “Zero Hour”, it became clear that Jim would drive, and that there would be cliffs, hairpin turns, dangerous intersections, and even a sideways hurdling M-15 Crosstown bus. Not to worry, he got us through the evening intact and thrilled with the ride. Be forewarned: this is not your grandmother’s one-man show. This is a startling, electrifying and explosive two-hour tour of a man who has a lot to say and doesn’t have time to make nice or to wait for us to ask the right questions.

Jim and his partner Steve are delightful, talented and sumptuously entertaining.

Zero Hour
DR2 Theater on E15th Street Union Square
telecharge.com 212 239-6200

A QNY Theater Review: The Addams Family

By Brooklyn Bill

On Tuesday, Joyce and I caught a preview performance of The Addams Family, and it was more fun than a barrel of dead monkeys.

The show wasn't 100 percent awesome. As Joyce pointed out, Morticia's plot line about becoming dissatisfied with her life and her marriage to Gomez seemed totally out of character. Indeed, almost all of the plot threads were about love problems, which I know are a staple of musicals but don't seem like a great match for a musical about a creepy family that adores the macabre and despises anything sappy. And not that many of the songs were big winners, at least at first listen.

But TAF provided a ton of laughs. The sets were breathtaking. (Though I have a nit to pick about the visible bar holding up the giant, dazzlingly gorgeous Moon in some scenes.) And let's face it, Bebe Neuwirth was born to play Morticia.

Another Dude's Slingbacks - A Review

Posted by David

I recently attended a performance of Another Dude's Slingbacks, which opened at the 13th Street Repertory Theatre on Friday, March 5.  My initial impression was that this would be one of those god-awful "gay plays" chock full of stale jokes, bad acting and telegraphed plot points.  Thankfully I was completely wrong.

Signs of Life - A Theatre Review

Posted by David

I recently attended a performance of the new musical Signs of Life written by Peter Ullian with lyrics by Len Schiff and music by Joel Derfner.  

Patricia Noonan as Lorelei Schumann  with Wilson Bridges as Simo. Photos by Joan Marcus.

The production opened Thursday at The Marjorie S. Dean Little Theater at the West Side Y.  The musical is based on true events surrounding the infamous WWII Theresienstadt concentration camp in what was then Czechoslovakia.